OFSTED
Key points from our latest Ofsted report:
St Gregory's has the following strengths
- Many pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are now making better progress.
- Children get off to a positive start in the Early Years. The quality of teaching is good. Children make good progress and are well prepared for Year 1.
- Adults know pupils and their families extremely well. There is a warm and caring ethos throughout the school.
- There are effective procedures in place to monitor pupils’ attendance. Rates of absence and persistent absence are currently below national averages.
Early years provision is Good |
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Personal development and welfare
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Safeguarding
- There is an effective system in place for staff to report any welfare concerns they have about a pupil or family, to the designated leads for safeguarding. There are good links with outside agencies such as social care, the multi-agency safeguarding hub and the local police community support officer (PCSO). Referrals to agencies are made swiftly, ensuring pupils and families receive extra help when it is needed. The family support officer is tenacious in chasing up extra support, if it is not forthcoming.
- There are strong procedures in place to monitor those pupils whose attendance is a concern. Consequently, current rates of absence and persistent absence are lower than the national averages.
- Pupils’ behave well on the playground and during break times. They play together sensibly and chat sociably when eating their lunch.
- Pupils have a good understanding of racism, bullying and the different forms it can take. They told inspectors that incidents of bullying are rare.
SEND
- The new leader responsible for pupils with SEND has made a strong start in a short space of time. Effective systems are now in place to check on the progress pupils are making. Inspection evidence and information provided by the school shows that the majority of pupils with SEND are now making good progress.
Pupil Premium
- The allocation and monitoring of the impact of the pupil premium funding for disadvantaged pupils is good. The leader has a clear overview of pupils’ individual barriers to learning and has accurately identified strategies to support their learning. The majority of disadvantaged pupils are currently making improving progress.
PE and Sport
- The leader responsible for the PE (physical education) and sport funding has ensured that staff have received training, and pupils have increased their participation in numerous competitions with other schools. After-school clubs in, for example, gymnastics, football, and bench-ball have been successful in targeting and engaging pupils who previously had not taken part in physical activity.
Leadership
- Leaders have a good overview of the current attainment and progress made by pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. This information is analysed closely and areas of weakness identified. Leaders are able to provide extra support to those classes and subjects that require it.
- Leaders and the governing body are ambitious and set increasingly high standards for staff and pupils alike. Teachers and teaching assistants told inspectors they appreciate opportunities to develop professionally.
- We are proud of the fact that the attainment of our children has increased over the past 2 years and is now in line with national averages for reading and writing and exceeding it in maths.
- Teachers meet frequently with leaders to discuss the progress and attainment of pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils take standardised tests that help to confirm the accuracy of their assessments of pupils’ learning. Pupils who are falling behind are identified and given support to help them catch up.
- Teachers provide pupils with frequent opportunities to improve spelling, punctuation and grammar skills. These skills are assessed in longer pieces of extended writing. For example, pupils in Year 6 were accurately using persuasive language when writing a letter to local councillors, regarding the potential closing of a local charity.
- Leaders provide a safe and stimulating environment for pupils to learn and staff to work. Bright classrooms and displays of pupils’ work in the corridors help to celebrate the best work alongside support materials to help pupils with, for example, spellings and times tables.
- The vast majority of parents are supportive of the school and its leaders. One parent commented that, ‘The headteacher and her competent management team are having a really positive effect on the school.’
- The leadership of mathematics is strong. Teachers now ensure that pupils have more frequent opportunities to use practical resources and to explain their thinking through problem solving and reasoning activities. Standards in mathematics have risen over recent years.
- The majority of pupils are now starting to make better progress in Reading, Writing and Maths.
- In 2018, the proportion of pupils leaving key stage 2, who achieved the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics was broadly in line with national averages. Pupils’ progress in mathematics has increased significantly over recent years.
- In 2018, the proportions of pupils leaving both key stages 1 and 2 who achieved the higher standards in mathematics were above the national averages.
- Inspection evidence and information provided by the school indicates that the majority of current disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND are making strong progress. This is particularly the case in writing.
Our key points for development are:
- Continue to provide an exciting and engaging curriculum for our children and to monitor the impact it has on their learning.
- To ensure consistency in the quality of teaching of reading and phonics.
- To ensure that all of our children are challenged in their learning.
- To ensure our teachers continue to work effectively with their Teaching Assistants, to support individual pupil needs.
- To ensure all staff consistently follow the school’s behaviour policy.
- To ensure that presentation of pupils’ work is consistently high.
Click here to see our latest report.
Click here to view our school on Ofsted’s Parent View.